Bandmate not tipping the waitstaff

[MatticusMania]

Originally Posted by caeman

The minimum wage laws are different for waitstaff here. The Minimum wage is 1/2 the set amount for such folks, with the idea that they are earn tips which can easily exceed their normal pay.

Yeah, I hear thats the case in a lot of the US. Over here in California, servers make minimum wage, which I believe right now is $8.50/hr, plus their tips.

[caeman]

Yeah, each state has the right to up the ante, but not go below the federal law.

[DrSpunkwater]

The problem I see here is not that the drummer doesn't tip, but that he drinks $40 worth of booze during a gig.

If you want to have a couple of beers while you play, fine. But Jesus, he's getting hammered on the job.

[MatticusMania]

Originally Posted by DrSpunkwater

The problem I see here is not that the drummer doesn't tip, but that he drinks $40 worth of booze during a gig.

If you want to have a couple of beers while you play, fine. But Jesus, he's getting hammered on the job.

In a club in LA, that could be equivalent to 4 drinks. I dont know about central Florida.

[Fishheadjoe]

Honestly, I find the whole "canadian" thing shocking!
This is the absolute first time I have heard this term used to describe non tippers...
Tipping in Toronto is expected as wages for servers are lower, with the expectation of tips suplimenting income.
If I get good service, I tip 20%. If I get reasonable service, I tip 15%. If the food is crap, but the service is good, I tip 20%.
I don't know who these "Canadians" who don't tip are as I have never encountered them!
I never drink at gigs but I do usually go to the bar between sets to grab a coke, so two cokes for the whole night. They are free to me and I don't tip the bar tender for pouring me a coke... but I also don't go up to the bar if it's packed. We do however, mention to our audience what a good job the staff is doing and to remember the hard work they are doing, by taking care of the staff.
So far, it has worked really well and the staff at our regular haunts always smile when they see us load in.
The other guys in the band share a pitcher or two throughout the night and I know they tip the waitress well.
Man, this "Canadian" thing has really got me confused! I wonder if it could be a regional thing?
Fishheadjoe

[giacomini]

Sounds like your drummer is the kind of guy that acts like an a** in a restaurant and gets a happy spitted-by-the-waiter meal.

[bolophonic]

Originally Posted by jmattbassplaya

I don't think we ever tip bars on comped drinks because we always go up to the bar for them and never utilize the floor staff for it. That, plus it's always part of our pay, so I don't see the logic in paying money to acquire part of our pay. That said, we always tip whenever we buy our own personal drinks.

I would never spend that much mental energy trying to avoid slapping a dollar down for a bartender.

[WCHIII]

Originally Posted by troy mcclure

Drives me nuts we wait months to get into a decent club and our drummer (it's always the drummer) runs a $40 bar tab night 1 and doesn't tip because he wants to keep his tab running to night 2 as the place pays us on night 2 of the weekend. So he takes his childish hostility out on the waitress.

He seems to have a persecution complex. Every time we play a bar, either they charge too much for drinks, the drinks are too small or he doesn't like the pay situation or any control of the set timing.

I explained to him, he represents the band when doesn't tip...he just doesn't get it.

I've seen this before too. I've actually seen a shocked look on a waitresses face when I tipped because the bands usually didnt tip. If all of you are tipping and one guy isnt, I assure you its an individual thing, not a band thing the wait staff is seeing. This guy is not the band...and by the way, when I was the only guy tipping...I was the drummer.

[lfmn16]

I see all these strained, convoluted arguments to justify not tipping the staff but the reality is that most of the staff are working for a living and most musicians are doing it for extra cash or fun, although I know some depend on the money to get by.

I like to help people less fortunate than myself. If you don't, just man up and say you're too cheap to tip, don't make a lot of pathetic excuses.

[MatticusMania]

Originally Posted by lfmn16

I see all these strained, convoluted arguments to justify not tipping the staff but the reality is that most of the staff are working for a living and most musicians are doing it for extra cash or fun, although I know some depend on the money to get by.

I like to help people less fortunate than myself. If you don't, just man up and say you're too cheap to tip, don't make a lot of pathetic excuses.

I always tip $1 per drink, even if I order it myself at the bar. Its just something Ive grown accustomed to hanging around in bars.

[jmattbassplaya]

Originally Posted by bolophonic

I would never spend that much mental energy trying to avoid slapping a dollar down for a bartender.

Maybe it's just youth culture, but most people in my age bracket pay for most things with a card. I know myself, my bandmates, and my closest friends don't seem to hold on to ones, fives, or tens all that often (because it seems like no one can ever break a $20). I wouldn't mind dropping a couple bucks at the end of the night, but to do so would require me to ask the waiter to give me a receipt so I can put it on my card. This is why I say I almost never tip unless I buy my own drinks because that's the only way they'll be on my card and not on the band tab.

[jmattbassplaya]

Originally Posted by lfmn16

I see all these strained, convoluted arguments to justify not tipping the staff but the reality is that most of the staff are working for a living and most musicians are doing it for extra cash or fun, although I know some depend on the money to get by.

I like to help people less fortunate than myself. If you don't, just man up and say you're too cheap to tip, don't make a lot of pathetic excuses.

And if gig money is your only source of income and part of your pay happens to come in the form of free drinks from the bar?

[georgiagoodie]

Originally Posted by Fishheadjoe

Honestly, I find the whole "canadian" thing shocking!
This is the absolute first time I have heard this term used to describe non tippers...
Tipping in Toronto is expected as wages for servers are lower, with the expectation of tips suplimenting income.
If I get good service, I tip 20%. If I get reasonable service, I tip 15%. If the food is crap, but the service is good, I tip 20%.
I don't know who these "Canadians" who don't tip are as I have never encountered them!
I never drink at gigs but I do usually go to the bar between sets to grab a coke, so two cokes for the whole night. They are free to me and I don't tip the bar tender for pouring me a coke... but I also don't go up to the bar if it's packed. We do however, mention to our audience what a good job the staff is doing and to remember the hard work they are doing, by taking care of the staff.
So far, it has worked really well and the staff at our regular haunts always smile when they see us load in.
The other guys in the band share a pitcher or two throughout the night and I know they tip the waitress well.
Man, this "Canadian" thing has really got me confused! I wonder if it could be a regional thing?
Fishheadjoe

Hey Fishheadjoe,
The "Canadians" in question here (non-tippers) have nothing to do with Canada......Speak with a server, they will clear it up for ya......

[two fingers]

Originally Posted by DanNowhere

when I have a bar gig, I don't consider myself an employee at the bar, I consider myself a customer. nobody gets paid to drink. I tip even if the drinks are free. Nobody likes a cheapskate, especially wait staff, and trust me, they remember this stuff when it comes time to decide whether to book your band again or not.

And you better believe that....

1) The OWNER quite often isn't there when you play.

2) He heavily relies on what his staff tells him as to whether or not you come back.

[MatticusMania]

Originally Posted by jmattbassplaya

Maybe it's just youth culture, but most people in my age bracket pay for most things with a card. I know myself, my bandmates, and my closest friends don't seem to hold on to ones, fives, or tens all that often (because it seems like no one can ever break a $20). I wouldn't mind dropping a couple bucks at the end of the night, but to do so would require me to ask the waiter to give me a receipt so I can put it on my card. This is why I say I almost never tip unless I buy my own drinks because that's the only way they'll be on my card and not on the band tab.

I tend to tip even more if Im buying drinks on a card. I'll often addd $5 to my total, even if Ive only had 2 or 3 drinks.

[jmattbassplaya]

Originally Posted by MatticusMania

I tend to tip even more if Im buying drinks on a card. I'll often addd $5 to my total, even if Ive only had 2 or 3 drinks.

I usually do a dollar per drink. It actually save my butt last night. I had already closed my tab and was about halfway done with my last drink when I stepped outside to have a smoke (no drinks are allowed outside at that place). When I came back in I noticed that my drink was gone, along with a lot of other empties we had at the table, so obviously the wait staff had came by. I went up to my bartender and he replaced the drink for free (most likely because I had been tipping him well all night). I usually tip well with everything; this being partially paid in booze is the only exception to the rule.

[Factor88]

Originally Posted by MatticusMania

I tend to tip even more if Im buying drinks on a card.

I'm with you on that. I'm like Donald f***king Trump when I fill out the Tip line on the slip. Then when I look at it the next morning

[MatticusMania]

Originally Posted by Factor88

I'm with you on that. I'm like Donald f***king Trump when I fill out the Tip line on the slip. Then when I look at it the next morning

I tipped them how much?!

At happy hour once, I tipped 50%. Of course, my total was $7 and change.

Originally Posted by jmattbassplaya

I usually tip well with everything; this being partially paid in booze is the only exception to the rule.

I can see the reasoning for not tipping on comped drinks (comped as in free drinks for the band is a part of the bands pay), though I do still tend to tip $1 per drink in those situations. The tip, from my perspective, is more to ensure efficient service from the bartender. If Im heading up a busy bar to grab a drink before my set, Im hoping [s]he'd appreciate the tip enough to serve me quickly, possibly before someone who may be waiting.

[jmattbassplaya]

Originally Posted by MatticusMania

I can see the reasoning for not tipping on comped drinks (comped as in free drinks for the band is a part of the bands pay), though I do still tend to tip $1 per drink in those situations. The tip, from my perspective, is more to ensure efficient service from the bartender. If Im heading up a busy bar to grab a drink before my set, Im hoping [s]he'd appreciate the tip enough to serve me quickly, possibly before someone who may be waiting.

You're right. I probably should be more mindful of this in the future.

[AltGrendel]

Even if I'm paying via a card, I try to have enough cash on hand to give the server a cash tip. I've head that putting the tip in the card can delay getting the tip in some places. I've never works as a server, so I have no idea if it's true, but I'd rather see someone working that hard get cash in hand.